London | A senior British police commander has begged for greater public understanding, after the country's once-friendly bobbies copped sustained flak for their overzealous patrolling amid the country's stringent coronavirus lockdown.

A week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson slapped a ban on all non-essential outdoor activity, social media has been rife with stories of police adopting a take-no-prisoners approach to enforcing the lockdown – overstepping the letter and even the spirit of the law.